My tennis future?

In late September I was working on my serve and my right side, along my rib cage, started to get sore. I hit about 20 more practice serves and packed up and left feeling sore but not concerned. Three hours later I could barely move. There was no “pop,” and I am right handed so I assume I pulled a rib muscle. For about two weeks it was very painful, couldn’t sleep etc. After two months it was completely healed, or so I thought. I waited another month or so (hernia surgery), and on Sunday hit again for the first time since the incident. Worked for a couple hours on ground strokes, back hands, etc. and went to practice serving. The very first attempt resulted in a return of the pain. I stopped immediately, went home to ice and ibuprofen. A couple hours later it was worse than the first time it already happened (far worse than the pain of my hernia surgery recovery). My question is how do I avoid this happening again (stretching beforehand?), I waited almost three bloody months shouldn’t any pull have been healed? Will I ever be able to play competitively again? I only have a few posts on here but am always on this site. I respect a lot of the people on these boards and recognize that many of you share the same passion I have for tennis. I am gutted and have actually been very emotional over the whole thing. Tennis is my life and I am uncertain of how this will play out for me. Thanks.

Even though you took a good amount of time to recover, sometimes simply recovering won't correct the problem.

As an example, I hurt my back. I rested for weeks but the moment I felt better and got out to exercise, the pain would come back. It took a good few months of physical therapy before I was pain free and didn't relapse.

Considering that you couldn't move or sleep for weeks the first time, why did't you go see a doctor then? I would definitely see a doctor now!

I have had a similar issue for a long time....I usually get this pain after a long tennis layoff (and I mean long) but since I have been playing regularly, I don't have the problem flare up. It feels like something is tearing from my ribcage when I reached up to serve, so I always wonder if it's something from a high school injury (when this started, decades ago). Hope your problem clears up on it's own or with medical help.

GO SEE A DOCTOR! I've played tennis for years and over and over I've seen players who try to treat themselves when they truly have something that is beyond them. Or else they get medical advice and then ignore it and try to return to normal play too soon, exacerbating the problem. A simple sprain or muscle pull is one thing, but your symptoms sure sound like there could be more to this. It may not be a huge issue, but if you continue trying to deal with it yourself, it almost certainly won;t get better and you may even make it worse. Go see a doctor, find out what is wrong, and follow good medical advice. Do what it takes to get yourself back out on the court!